Read & Spin

Melanie Warner Spencer

HISTORY
The height of crawfish season is upon us. Celebrate by noshing on a tasty mess of mudbugs while reading about their storied history. In Louisiana Crawfish: A Succulent History of the Cajun Crustacean journalist and Louisiana-native Sam Irwin heaps handfuls of hot history, juicy tall tales and delicious recipes into a spicy pot, resulting in a veritable handbook for crawfish novices and aficionados alike.

FICTION
With 11 simple words, Amy Conner sucks the reader in: “I am thirty-five years old and running out of time,” so begins The Right Thing, the debut novel by the New Orleans-based author which was Shortlisted in the Faulkner-Wisdom Writing Competition. Set in Jackson, Miss., the page-turning story follows two friends from different backgrounds as they navigate divergent paths and life in a small town. Meet the author at a book signing at the Garden District Book Shop on May 29 at 6 p.m.

FUNK
Gritty beats permeate “NY to NOLA,” the first track on Redemption, released this month by Glen David Andrews. A member of the famous New Orleans musical family and cousin of Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews, the musician also had frequent appearances playing himself on HBO’s “Treme,” series. Andrews sticks to his Blues, Jazz, Gospel and R&B roots in this project chronicling his journey through addiction, hell, salvation and redemption. Listen for guest stars Ivan Neville, Ben Ellman and Anders Osborne, while funkin’ out to raw grooves.

SWING
The cheerful three-part harmonies of the Boswell Sisters, render one hard pressed to sit still. Swingy jazz vocals bounce along like their quick jump to stardom. The classically-trained sisters were heavily influenced by hometown New Orleans Jazz and performed and recorded on the stage, radio and later TV with heavy-hitters like Bing Crosby and Duke Ellington. With career’s spanning from the 1920s through Connie Boswell’s solo career in the ’60s, their legacy burns bright. Get the three-CD set of their music at the Historic New Orleans Collection and view the exhibition “Shout Sister Shout! The Boswell Sisters of New Orleans,” through Oct. 26.